Effective Guitar Recording Tips

Before starting guitar recording, a person must take extra care in choosing the microphones to be used. With an acoustic guitar, two techniques that can be used are the single microphone or the two-microphone technique. It is also advisable to use a condenser microphone rather than a dynamic microphone. It is believed that condenser microphones produce a higher frequency reproduction and better transient response. Recommended condenser microphones are Oktava MC012, RODE NTI, and Groove Tubes GT55.

Here are some guidelines when using a guitar for audio recording. Proper use of the microphone: One technique is positioning two microphones apart from each other at the same level, one pointed at the guitar’s 12th fret and the other at the bridge. Both microphones must be at least three times the distance between the microphone and the source. This technique results in a smoother sound.

Guitar recording on a computer’s hard drive is possible by connecting the headphones from the amplifier to the soundcard. The other way of doing this is by plugging an electric guitar into the soundcard’s microphone socket. This technique may work but is not expected to give the best quality output.

For those who are not budget-conscious and are opting for a better quality solution, they may get hold of the USB devices available in the market that suit their audio recording needs. This option is better than using a soundcard as it provides a specialized external solution for guitar recording. You can try the JamLab, an entry-level type of USB device especially designed for guitarists. It allows you to turn your personal computer into an audio recording guitar system without need any external hardware. The USB connection immediately connects the JamLab to the computer.

Another option for guitar recording is the M-Audio’s Black Box, considered the perfect solution for guitar recording. It also allows the creation of a back-up on your laptop or PC. Its features include a dynamic microphone input with pre-amp. Most importantly, this product is claimed to be a standalone unit that makes it a perfect tool for recording gigs.

The Firewire Solution is another option for guitar recording. It is best for personal recording as it routes discrete outputs to a mixer and uses a surround sound system. It goes best with a condenser microphone but also works well with a dynamic microphone.

Another technique in guitar recording is by experimenting on the built-in pick-up of an acoustic guitar. This may be done by using the guitar’s pick-up and mixing it with microphones.

In mixing acoustic guitar with other guitars, one important tip is to use the single-microphone technique because a stereo acoustic guitar might create in sonic resonance that leads to the cluttering of the sounds. A doubled mono technique is advised if only the guitar and vocals are in play.

Audio Recording